John Baimba Sesay, Senior Comms Manager, C40 Freetown Office/Mayor of Freetown
Residents of Jah Kingdom in Kamayama, Congo Town Market, Owen Street by Mountain Cut, and Pamronkohin Calaba Town turned out in large numbers over the weekend to welcome the Mayor of Freetown, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr OBE, during an inspection tour of newly completed water kiosks and public toilet facilities.
The visit formed part of the Freetown City Council’s (FCC) ongoing Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) infrastructure programme aimed at expanding access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation across the city.
The inspection was marked by celebrations, with residents expressing their appreciation through singing and dancing as the Mayor visited each project site.
At Jah Kingdom, the Council has completed a solar-powered water kiosk alongside a four-unit public toilet facility, complementing an earlier tree-planting initiative undertaken in the community. Congo Town Market has also benefited from a newly constructed four-unit public toilet facility, adding to the Council’s ongoing waste-to-energy briquette project in the area.
Meanwhile, residents of Owen Street, Mountain Cut, and Pamronkoh in Calaba Town have each received new water kiosks designed to improve access to clean, safe, and reliable water.
Mayor Aki-Sawyerr was accompanied by Councillors Umaru Bangura, Samuel Kamara, Ibrahim SorieConteh, and Alhassan Olando Kaloko, Chairman of the FCC Water Committee, as well as officials of the Freetown City Council and project contractors.
Addressing residents during the tour, the Mayor thanked community members for making land available for the projects and commended their cooperation throughout the implementation process.
“Your determination and support throughout the process have made these projects possible. I encourage you to take ownership of these facilities and ensure they are properly maintained for the benefit of current and future generations,” she said.
She also announced plans to establish a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model to manage the facilities, explaining that the approach is intended to ensure their long-term sustainability while giving local communities an active role in overseeing their operation and maintenance.
Reflecting on broader urban development challenges, Mayor Aki-Sawyerr observed that the need to build public toilets within residential communities underscores weaknesses in urban planning. She noted that if the Council had full authority over land-use planning and the approval of building permits, residential developments would have been required to include adequate sanitation facilities from the outset.
Despite these challenges, she reaffirmed the Council’s commitment to providing essential infrastructure where it is most needed while continuing to advocate for stronger urban planning systems.
Speaking on behalf of residents at Owen Street, Mountain Cut, Chairlady Fatmata Dumbuya expressed gratitude to the Freetown City Council and Mayor Aki-Sawyerr for the construction of the new water kiosk, describing the project as a life-changing intervention that will significantly improve access to safe water within the community.
The projects are being implemented through the Freetown City Council’s partnership with the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) under the Blue Peace Initiative WASH Infrastructure Programme.
Under the initiative, the Council plans to construct a total of 65 water kiosks and 15 public toilet facilities comprising 60 toilet units, significantly expanding access to safe water and improved sanitation services for thousands of residents across Freetown.
